Faint murmurs about the problems being created by the incredible complexity of ICT operations planned for Perth’s Fiona Stanley Hospital were heard as far back as 2011, but it wasn’t until June last year that it was officially announced that the hospital’s opening would be delayed by six months. While FSH’s problems are now out in the open due to a parliamentary inquiry, many fear that the whole drama may have a negative effect on other health infrastructure in the state.

When it was first announced back in 2009, it was billed as WA’s first paperless hospital, a technological and ecological marvel to behold, a new hospital for the digital age where information technology would seamlessly integrate with communications infrastructure to provide world’s best practice in health service provision near the gently flowing waters of the Swan.